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CrashStats

M74 accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 2,313 collisions on the M74 from 1979 to 2025, with 3,552 casualties. Of those crashes, 80 were fatal and 466 serious, and 94 people were killed.

In 2025 there were 31 collisions on the M74, down 26% from 42 in 2024, with 52 casualties.

Collisions since 1979
2,313
507th highest of 4,923 roads
Casualties
3,552
1.54 per collision
Fatal collisions
80
94 people killed
Serious collisions
466
605 seriously injured
Collisions in 2025
31
Down 26% on 2024
Casualties in 2025
52
Down 24% on 2024

Crash severity on the M74

On the M74, 3.5% of collisions were fatal and 20% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by severity, 1979 to 2025

  • Fatal803.5%
  • Serious46620%
  • Slight1,76776%

Where the M74 ranks among 4,923 roads

Most collisions
507th
Most casualties
442nd
Most fatal collisions
268th
Most serious collisions
461st

M74 accidents by year

Collisions on the M74 peaked at 103 in 2008 and were down to 31 in 2025.

Collisions and casualties on the M74, 1979 to 2025

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
20253152
20244268
20233462
20222832
20213248
20202945
20194863
20184663
20174859
20165570
20155174
20144266
20135476
20124359
20113952
20105375
20094869
2008103137
200780118
20066489
20056689
200472113
200367106
200275120
200176103
200082128
199987152
199896169
199770100
19965890
199562102
199466124
199353125
19925677
19914072
19902741
19893154
19883357
19873247
19862330
19852439
19842950
19831824
19822643
19812841
19802136
19792543

When crashes happen on the M74

Friday has the most collisions on the M74 (394), and 3pm to 6pm is the busiest time of day (415).

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday350 (15%)
  • Tuesday354 (15%)
  • Wednesday306 (13%)
  • Thursday301 (13%)
  • Friday394 (17%)
  • Saturday301 (13%)
  • Sunday307 (13%)

Collisions by time of day

  • Midnight to 3am147 (6.4%)
  • 3am to 6am153 (6.6%)
  • 6am to 9am401 (17%)
  • 9am to noon331 (14%)
  • Noon to 3pm349 (15%)
  • 3pm to 6pm415 (18%)
  • 6pm to 9pm329 (14%)
  • 9pm to midnight188 (8.1%)

Collisions by month

  • January213 (9.2%)
  • February162 (7%)
  • March179 (7.7%)
  • April140 (6.1%)
  • May173 (7.5%)
  • June167 (7.2%)
  • July183 (7.9%)
  • August223 (9.6%)
  • September185 (8%)
  • October224 (9.7%)
  • November234 (10%)
  • December230 (9.9%)

Light conditions at the time

  • Daylight1,479 (64%)
  • Dark, no street lighting520 (22%)
  • Dark, street lights lit281 (12%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit20 (0.9%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown13 (0.6%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Road and weather conditions in M74 crashes

On the M74, 90% of collisions happened where the speed limit was 70 mph and 46% on a wet or damp road surface.

Speed limit at the scene

  • 30 mph32 (1.4%)
  • 40 mph12 (0.5%)
  • 50 mph105 (4.5%)
  • 60 mph74 (3.2%)
  • 70 mph2,090 (90%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds1,516 (66%)
  • Raining, no high winds422 (18%)
  • Raining with high winds161 (7%)
  • Fine with high winds70 (3%)
  • Other138 (6%)
  • Not recorded6 (0.3%)

Road surface

  • Wet or damp1,065 (46%)
  • Dry1,039 (45%)
  • Frost or ice102 (4.4%)
  • Snow85 (3.7%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep21 (0.9%)
  • Oil or diesel1 (under 0.1%)

Type of road

  • Dual carriageway2,014 (87%)
  • One way street or slip road213 (9.2%)
  • Single carriageway46 (2%)
  • Roundabout32 (1.4%)
  • Not recorded8 (0.3%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

People hurt and vehicles involved in M74 crashes

Car occupants make up 77% of the people killed or injured on the M74, followed by occupants of goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes (7.4%).

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant2,725 (77%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)264 (7.4%)
  • Van occupant240 (6.8%)
  • Bus or coach occupant106 (3%)
  • Motorcyclist70 (2%)
  • Minibus occupant49 (1.4%)
  • Pedestrian49 (1.4%)
  • Other49 (1.4%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car3,053 (72%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes685 (16%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes313 (7.4%)
  • Motorcycle63 (1.5%)
  • Other vehicle43 (1%)
  • Bus or coach36 (0.8%)
  • Minibus27 (0.6%)
  • Other25 (0.6%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 567 (1.9%)
  • 6 to 1083 (2.3%)
  • 11 to 1598 (2.8%)
  • 16 to 20364 (10%)
  • 21 to 25496 (14%)
  • 26 to 35846 (24%)
  • 36 to 45612 (17%)
  • 46 to 55497 (14%)
  • 56 to 65290 (8.2%)
  • 66 to 75138 (3.9%)
  • Over 7560 (1.7%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider2,157 (61%)
  • Passenger1,346 (38%)
  • Pedestrian49 (1.4%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes on the M74

Map of the 25 most recent crashes on the M74

Use the arrow keys to move the map and the plus and minus keys to zoom.

  • 25 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

M74 crashes by council area

Collisions on the M74 were recorded in 4 council areas. South Lanarkshire has the most, with 1,941, followed by Glasgow City (172) and North Lanarkshire (156).

Collisions on the M74 in each area, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stSouth Lanarkshire1,9413,03974402
2ndGlasgow City172223325
3rdNorth Lanarkshire156227329
4thDumfries and Galloway4260010

M74 crashes by town

Collisions on the M74 were recorded in 6 towns and built-up areas, led by Glasgow (83) and Hamilton (75).

Recent crashes on the M74

These are the 25 most recent collisions on the M74, from 20 March to 11 December 2025.

Severity